1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a high level water supplying and distributing system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, as a water supplying device used in a multistoried building, there is provided a water supplying device in which water stored in a tank installed at a basement or the like is sucked up to another tank installed at a penthouse and then water is supplied from the tank at the penthouse to each of the floors in the building. However, in such a water supplying device as described above, tanks are required at the basement or at the penthouse and not only the problems in regard to a facility, but also a difficult cleaning in the tanks are present, so that a problem in regard to health of persons living in the building is also pointed out. In view of these facts, there have been made several proposals in the art.
For example, as already described in the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 6-116990, there is provided a water supplying device in which a water storing section having a pipe wound in a helical manner is covered by thermal insulating material, installed at the penthouse of a building, a pump connected to a water pipe is driven, water is pumped up to the water storing section and water is supplied from the water storing section to each of the floors.
In addition, as already described in the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 7-331711, there is provided a water supplying system in which a plurality of water supplying pipes for supplying water to a low-storied floor zone of the first floor to the third floor are connected to a plurality of water supplying pipes of middle or higher storied zone which is higher than the third floor in a vertical direction, and wherein a booster pump, a flow rate switch for detecting an amount of supplied water, two pressure switches for detecting water pressure at a suction side and a discharging side of the booster pump, and a pressure tank connected to the discharging side of the booster pump are connected in sequence between the water supplying pipes.
In this water supplying system, when water is supplied to the low-storied zone with water pressure of a water pipe and water is supplied to the middle and high storied zone, an operation of the booster pump is controlled and an amount of water within the pressure tank is maintained to a desired value.
Further, as already described in the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 6-136794, there is provided a water supplying device in which a cylindrical water supplying tank is arranged vertically from a basement to the upper-most floor of a building, this water supplying tank is defined into partitioned chambers at every predetermined floor, each of the partitioned chambers is provided with a pump for pumping up water kept in another partitioned chamber below the former chamber, the lower-most pump is connected to the water pipe, these pumps are energized under a value less than its lower limit hydraulic pressure to pump up water into the partitioned chamber, and when the hydraulic pressure in the partitioned chamber reaches its upper limit hydraulic pressure, the pumps are stopped under an operation of a pressure switch.
Some technical problems in the prior art above will be described as follows.
The water supplying device described in the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 6-116990 employs a system in which after water is pumped up to the water storing section installed at the penthouse of a building, water is supplied to each of the lower floors. Accordingly, in order to supply water to the lower floors, a hydraulic pressure must be reduced. In order to reduce the hydraulic pressure, it is necessary to arrange a pressure reducing means and so useless electrical power for driving the pressure reducing means is consumed.
In addition, since the water storing section is installed only at the penthouse, a large amount of storing water is required to supply water to all the houses. In addition, in order to shield it against a direct sunlight, it requires to cover itself with the thermal insulating material, resulting in that a scale of the device is increased and transportation and installation of material substances at the time of work become troublesome.
In the case of the water supplying system described in the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 7-331711, it is necessary to arrange a flow rate switch and two pressure sensors for controlling an operation of the pump to supply water into a pressure tank, whereby its control becomes complicated. In addition, it becomes necessary to prepare the pressure tank having a water storing function for absorbing variation in the amount of supplying water for the middle and higher floors and so dusts may easily be accumulated in the pressure tank. Accordingly, stained state at the pressure tank or its cleaning becomes a problem.
In the case of the water supplying device described in the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 6-136794, an operation of the pump is controlled under an operation of a pressure switch, and when a large amount of water is supplied at a predetermined floor, a hydraulic pressure at the partitioned chamber at the corresponding floor is rapidly changed and every time the changed state occurs, water is supplied to the partitioned chamber. In this case, as the turning-on and turning-off of the pressure switch are frequently repeated through transmittance of pressure, the pressure switch is deteriorated or although not deteriorated, it becomes a cause for generating an erroneous operation. In addition, the partitioned chamber is normally closed by the opening or closing section, so that the dusts or the like may easily be accumulated. Further, if the amount of stored water is less, the hydraulic pressure is rapidly changed in reference to an amount of used water, so that it is necessary to increase a volume of partitioned chamber more than a water supplying capability, whereby the size of the device is increased.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a high level water supplying and distributing system of which small-sized unit can be realized.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a high level water supplying and distributing system in which pressures in water supplying tanks at each of the floors can be equally controlled.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a high level water supplying and distributing system in which a rapid variation in hydraulic pressure can be restricted.
These and further objects of the present invention are achieved by the novel high level water supplying and distributing system of the present invention.
The high level water supplying and distributing system of the present invention is comprised of a plurality of water supplying tanks arranged in series along a height direction; a water supplying pipe connected to each of the water supplying tanks; and a water supplying pump and a check valve installed in a connected pipe passage for connecting the water supplying tanks to each other. It is possible to suck up water in sequence into each of the water supplying tanks under an operation of the water supplying pump and to supply water through the water supplying pipes. Since a check valve is arranged between each of the water supplying tanks, it becomes possible to supply water to the water supplying tank at the upper floor through the water supplying tank at the lower floor. However, hydraulic pressure of the water supplying tank at the upper floor does not act on the water supplying tank at the lower floor. With such an arrangement as above, it is possible to eliminate a necessity to reduce hydraulic pressure in the water supplying tank of the lower floor, equalize hydraulic pressures in all the water supplying tanks, and even if the severe variation in hydraulic pressure occurs, the water supplying pump does not repeat intermittent stop in driving operation and the accurate and easy control of the hydraulic pressure can be performed. Further, since supplemental supplying of water to the water supplying tank at the upper floor is carried out by pumping up water in sequence from the water supplying tank at the lower floor, so that pumping up water can be performed under application of the small-sized water supplying pump having a low pumping up capability. Further, since water in the water supplying tank at the lower floor is supplied to the water supplying tank just above the lower floor, dusts or the like are hardly accumulated at each of the water supplying tanks. With such an arrangement as above, it is possible to remarkably reduce a necessity for performing a cleaning operation of the tank.